WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Tim Murray speaks to the media today. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Tim Murray’s first NHL trade deadline as general manager was a busy one. The Sabres made three deals, sending veterans Jaroslav Halak, Matt Moulson and Cody McCormick away. Murray also made one surprising deal, trading prospect Brayden McNabb to the Los Angeles Kings.
Here’s more from Murray:
On if today was a good day:
“I think it’s a good day. I think the combination of the picks that we’ve added and the young ... Read the full article
Jaroslav Halak dressed for one Sabres game. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Jaro, we hardly knew ye.
As expected, the Sabres have flipped goalie Jaroslav Halak, trading him to the Washington Capitals today with a 2015 third-round draft pick for goalie Michal Neuvirth and defenseman Rostislav Klesla.
The Sabres acquired the 28-year-old Slovak in Friday’s Ryan Miller trade. Halak never played with the Sabres, only dressing for Monday’s 3-2 loss in Dallas.
Halak, an unrestricted free agent following the season, is 24-9-4 with ... Read the full article
Jaroslav Halak’s stay in Buffalo could be brief. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Expect the rebuilding Sabres to be busy prior to today’s 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline. No one’s off limits this year. Remember, new general manager Tim Murray has no attachment to any players on the roster.
This could be the team’s busiest and biggest deadline ever. Today might help reshape the franchise for the next five or 10 years.
Here are some Sabres who could be dealt and their contract status:
Drew Stafford has been performing well under Ted Nolan. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Drew Stafford remembers last year’s NHL trade deadline well. The Sabres winger stayed by his phone all day, stressed out. By 4 p.m., as rumors circulated he was on the move, it started “blowing up.”
“I think that was one of my first experiences with the power of social media and how one little thing can turn into another thing as far as rumors and speculation go,” Stafford said Thursday inside the First ... Read the full article
Ted Black (left) and Tim Murray discuss the Sabres’ tumultuous weekend Sunday. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – A Sabres icon bolted less than four months after returning to the team he loved. The franchise goalie and captain got traded.
The Sabres just endured perhaps the most trying weekend in their 43-year history. That was before the popular coach sounded like he might want to leave.
“It’s a lot for our fans to swallow in a short amount of time,” Sabres president Ted Black said Sunday, a day after Pat LaFontaine ... Read the full article
Chris Stewart tries to score on Jaroslav Halak during their first Sabres practice Sunday. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – They’re only human, you know. Leaving the St. Louis Blues, a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, for the rebuilding Sabres wasn’t easy at first for goalie Jaroslav Halak and winger Chris Stewart.
But the veterans, part of Friday’s blockbuster Ryan Miller-Steve Ott deal, have accepted they’re now playing for the NHL’s worst team, at least temporarily.
Rumors are swirling the Sabres will flip them before Wednesday’s trade deadline. Halak, an unrestricted free agent ... Read the full article
Ted Black (left) and Tim Murray address the media this afternoon. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres president Ted Black understands Pat LaFontaine’s stunning resignation as president of hockey operations creates uncertainty for a team that had finally seemed to stabilize itself.
“It’s something that fans are going to be upset by,” Black said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center, a day after LaFontaine abruptly bolted from the organization after less than four months.
Still, Black said, LaFontaine was only one person.
“I don’t know if it impacts ... Read the full article
Ted Nolan has talked about a contract extension with the Sabres. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Pat LaFontaine’s resignation as the Sabres’ president of hockey operations has rocked interim coach Ted Nolan, his close friend.
“It’s tough,” an emotional Nolan said this morning inside the First Niagara Center. “I don’t even want to think about it right now, to tell you the truth. It’s that tough.”
Nolan hasn’t spoken to LaFontaine in the past couple of days and called his departure a “big surprise.”
“Everyone knows what kind ... Read the full article
Jhonas Enroth will play most of the games down the stretch. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Ryan Miller is gone. Jaroslav Halak, the goalie the Sabres received in Friday’s blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Blues, will be an unrestricted free agent following the season. He could be dealt within days.
For now, Jhonas Enroth, Miller’s backup for three seasons, will shoulder the load down the stretch, interim Sabres coach Ted Nolan said.
The 25-year-old Swede finally has an opportunity to become a No. 1 goalie.
“If you ... Read the full article
Former Sabres captain Steve Ott stands in front of goalie Jaroslav Halak, who Buffalo acquired Friday, earlier this season. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It was a normal Sabres game night. Players were preparing for their warm-up Friday. Ted Nolan had held pregame his meeting and talked about his plan for the San Jose Sharks.
Then the interim coach saw Joe Battista, the team’s vice president of hockey-related business, coming around the corner.
Battista informed Nolan that goalie Ryan Miller, the scheduled starter, shouldn’t go out for the warm-up.
“I think we got a deal for him,” ... Read the full article